The Vikings are now facing the Bears without K1, Jennings, and Mason. Wentz gets the nod with JJ stepping into the backup role. He had better be ready because every time Wentz goes down, well, it seems like it takes a long time for him to get up. He is not even over 50 yet too. What are the odds that JJ gets to play?
Bryce Young threw for 361 yards against the Bears with Jalen Coker (who?) grabbing 8 passes for 128 yards and 2 TDs. I’d like to think the Jefferson can get in on some of that action
no matter who is throwing him the ball. The Panthers 3 turnovers surely did not help them out and they lost the time of possession, 34 minutes to 25 minutes. They allowed the Bears to run for 291 yards although 61 came on a long run by Monangia and 29 on a long run by Caleb. Still, stopping the run will be huge.
It will be tough on the road but if the Vikings can manage to run the ball a little better even without Mason, then I think that will help tremendously. Containing Caleb will be key as well. It is going to be a great game with a lot of intrigue.
You know I am going with the Vikings. Always.
There are a few good college games to watch today if you are inclined. At this point, I have to start checking out the QBs a lot closer.
Trajectory of 2027 NFL draft QB prospects flips fast
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49950232/college-football-2027-nfl-draft-qb-prospects-trajectory-flips-fast
“This is a really good year to need a quarterback,” another NFL scout said. “Last year was not.”
I try NOT to be a homer because I am a huge USC fan. Jayden Maiava looks pretty good. The Trojans have played San Jose State, Fresno, and the Louisiana Rajin’ Canjuns. He has completed 67 out of 83 passes (80.7%) for 896 yards with 10 TDs and 1 INT.
Darian Mensah of Miami also is killing it. He has completed 71 out of 79 passes (89.9%) for 873 yards with 11 TDs and no picks.
A few other QBs that I have liked so far are Kamario Taylor from Miss St, Bear Bachmeier form BYU (wears number 47), Kevin Jennings from SMU, and Connor Weigman from Houston.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Career-defining season for Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell?
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49964734/nfl-minnesota-vikings-kevin-oconnell-kyler-murray-jj-mccarthy
Kevin O’Connell has produced one of the most unique résumés in NFL history. He is the only head coach to deliver multiple seasons of at least 13 victories, as he did for the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 and 2024, without winning a playoff game.
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With two significant complications removed — the Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January and demoted 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to third-string QB this summer — will O’Connell take the step this season from a good coach to a great one?
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The numbers on O’Connell’s résumé are clear. His .638 winning percentage is the best in team history, and he is tied for the NFL’s fifth-most wins since 2022 despite using nine different quarterbacks. The four coaches ranked ahead of O’Connell benefited from using one primary quarterback over that period. One longtime AFC executive said: “He would have his pick of jobs if they ever fired him.”
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ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said on “NFL Live” this summer that “the quarterback needs to let the star of the offense be Kevin O’Connell,” and further explained his point in a telephone conversation.
“There are certain guys that just have a high-end level of play design, playcall and the setup of that playcall,” Orlovsky said. “I played for one of them in Houston, Gary Kubiak. I had never been around a coach that could watch film, know exactly how the team and quarterback could attack the defense, but then in the game within a drive or two, know exactly what wrinkle might be needed and know how to get that wrinkle set up. I think Kevin has that.
“Sometimes quarterbacks, because they are highly competitive and incredibly egotistical, think they can make whatever throw. For quarterbacks with this type of playcaller, you’ve just got to get into that rhythm of believing he’s got it.”
In an interview this summer, Murray joked that O’Connell can coach “football for dummies” because of how clearly he articulates his concepts and provides answers. That reputation was a factor in the months leading up to the 2024 draft, setting into motion a series of events that could be career defining for O’Connell’s time in Minnesota.
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O’Connell pushed hard to trade up from No. 11 to No. 3 to select Maye, but the New England Patriots turned down Adofo-Mensah’s offer. Despite recent speculation that O’Connell opposed drafting McCarthy with a trade up to No. 10, multiple sources said he supported it alongside a development plan that included credible veteran options in 2024 (Darnold) and perhaps beyond. They thought McCarthy, because of his age and perceived room for growth, could eventually be a difference-maker.
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Meanwhile, multiple sources said the Vikings were surprised by the degree of McCarthy’s immaturity. O’Connell has hinted publicly at it, noting last season that McCarthy’s feedback during film sessions indicated he was veering wildly off script. O’Connell also did not hide his displeasure with McCarthy’s decision to celebrate a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys 5 yards before he crossed the line of scrimmage. McCarthy’s admission that he did it in part because he had been told not to during practice did not sit well internally.
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O’Connell has built and maintained his connection with players based in part on lessons he took from his own disappointing NFL quarterback career. He annually earns top grades in the NFL Players Association workplace survey. Players do not necessarily point to distinctive approaches or special team-building exercises but instead emphasize what feels to them as a deep level of personal connection and substance.
“He has a really, really, really unique ability for the entire locker room to buy into the message and the goal and the principles of how we try to do things,” right tackle Brian O’Neill said. “I think he has incredible buy-in and he’s one of those guys that we want to win for him, and not just alongside him. The best way I can say it is it feels like we work together.”
This spring, O’Connell began researching potential replacements for McCarthy. The way it happened, Murray told ESPN, immediately earned his respect.
“With all the narratives that have been said about me,” said Murray, who was released in March after seven seasons with the Cardinals and one year left on his contract, “KO really dug deep. He talked to people that knew me, really everybody under the sun. … He really studied who I was. And I think he also had his own perspective of me as a player and what I’m capable of.
“We live in a social media age where all you see is what you see. He wanted to learn and judge me by himself. I definitely appreciated that.”
As he moved through training camp, Murray quickly understood what other players had already concluded about O’Connell’s inherent empathy.
“He has a great gauge of guys’ temperament,” Murray said. “And that’s one thing that you can respect, especially as a quarterback. Maybe you didn’t have the best week. As a player, internally, maybe I’m feeling like I didn’t have the best week. I’m frustrated. He’ll pull you aside when he doesn’t have to, but he feels that that guy, whoever it is, might be down.”
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Observing O’Connell from afar, Teasley said recently that he believed him to be highly intelligent and to be a “big-picture thinker” as a head coach. After working with him for three months, Teasley said that long-range observation has proved true.
“It’s just been really seamless and really easy,” Teasley said, “for us to stay on the same page and communicate daily about every aspect of our football operation. And I’m really happy with where that relationship is and excited to continue to work with him.”
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“In some of the adversity, I don’t think I’ve coached very well,” O’Connell said, “trying to maybe worry about the stat sheet, trying to maybe worry about what it’s going to look like when you pick up the paper and, statistically, are people going to think you’re a good coach?”
Speaking a week before the victory over the Packers, sitting in his office with a pristine view of the Vikings’ practice fields, O’Connell was confident in his growth.
“After our experiences over the previous four years,” he said, “when [adversity] comes, we’ll be prepared.”
NFL Expert Picks: Vikings Defense vs. Bears Offense Offers Intriguing Week 2 Matchup
https://www.vikings.com/news/nfl-expert-picks-intriguing-week-2-matchup-bears
Bears 30, Vikings 24 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
The marquee matchup is the Brian Flores defense against the explosive Bears offense. At home, look for the Chicago offense to keep it rolling. Bears take it.
Bears 30, Vikings 23 – Bill Bender, Sporting News
Chicago’s offense is full-throttle with second-year coach Ben Johnson. If Minnesota can’t slow down a rushing attack that rolled up 291 yards in Week 1 behind D’Andre Swift (18-124, 3 TDs) and Kyle Monangai (10-100, TD), then there will be trouble. It’s a challenge for Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores. Minnesota has won six straight matchups at Chicago.
Bears 38, Vikings 24 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News
Keep rolling with the Bears who keep getting master motivated by Ben Johnson to step on the gas for four quarters. Caleb Williams and the running game came out firing and focused in Carolina. Brian Flores shouldn’t shy away from his blitzing, but Williams is well equipped to beat it with his arm or his legs. Chicago’s defense will give up the yards again, but Minnesota won’t keep up with whoever it has at QB.
0 of 5 experts pick the Vikings, NFL.com
Analysis from NFL.com’s Dan Parr: We have our (very) early favorite for the coaching matchup of the year here, with the Bears’ offensive mastermind, Ben Johnson, facing off against Vikings defensive genius Brian Flores.
Who will emerge victorious in the battle between two men who seem to try to redefine the word aggressive on a weekly basis?
Johnson has already stated he wants the Bears to break the single-season scoring record — and he apparently meant it, given that his team dropped 59 points on the Panthers last week. As for Flores, Minnesota blitzed 78.3 percent of the time against the Packers — no other team had a blitz rate higher than 52 percent in Week 1. For what it’s worth, Caleb Williams completed 9 of 14 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz last week. He did not fare as well when Flores sent a blitz at him 67 percent of the time in their last meeting (a 19-17 Bears win in Week 11 of last season).
Sunday’s contest will give us a much better gauge on whether Williams really has entered the elite tier. I’m on record as a believer.
2 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report analysis Gary Davenport: The Bears dropped 59 points on the Panthers last week. … Minnesota’s defense is a fair bit better than Carolina’s. The second is that Chicago’s defense was ‘turrible’ in Week 1. Not terrible. ‘Turrible.’
Bleacher Report analysis Kris Knox: In Week 1, the Bears reminded me a lot of the 2024 Bengals. They feel like a team that can score almost at will, but one that may need to score at a high clip to win games.
2 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB
0 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN
1 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic
Thoughts from The Athletic’s J.J. Bailey: The new Minnesota Vikings era lasted all of 11 plays before Carson Wentz was back under center and, just as everyone predicted, the 33-year-old journeyman led them from down 22-10 late in the third quarter to a 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers.
We all expected that, right? It’s possible that Chad Graff did, considering he’s the only one riding Minnesota this week. This is a real heat-check of a pick. It means that the Vikes would beat the Bears with a recently concussed Kyler Murray (who threw an unforgivable pick last week) under center — or Wentz stringing together two improbable starts.
Chicago’s defense is a mess, but believing Wentz can repeat that level of aptitude is a choice. Perhaps this is a vote of confidence in Brian Flores, whose truly psychotic blitz rate — on 78.3 percent of pass plays, per Next Gen Stats — won the day for Minnesota last week. And while Packers quarterback Jordan Love did an admirable job counterpunching, when a QB is pressured on 50 percent of his dropbacks, it’s only a matter of time before things come apart.
The biggest question is how willing Flores is to repeat that onslaught against the Bears, who just became the fourth team this decade to put up 59 or more points in a game. Chicago also has Caleb Williams, who was among the league’s best at avoiding sacks and extending plays last season, and has the arm strength to make any throw on the field out of structure. For all of Minnesota’s success at pressure, the Vikings averaged 3.2 yards of separation on receivers, a fact that Williams and the Ben Johnson-led offense will surely exploit.
The Bears are also a far bigger threat on the ground than the Packers. Chicago has now run for 280 or more yards in a game three times under Johnson, tripling the number of times it happened in franchise history before he showed up — and 154 of those yards came rushing outside the tackles, where Minnesota is considerably more vulnerable, especially when it blitzes.
Do you, Mr. Graff, but Chicago isn’t losing twice in two years at home to Minnesota.
Note: Vikings cant get no love
Justin Jefferson’s Week 2 Role with Vikings Expected to be Enhanced
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/justin-jeffersons-week-2-role-113025468.html
Bears Get Strong Words From Cris Carter Before Vikings Game
https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/minnesota-vikings/bears-strong-words-cris-carter-game/
The P/PTSD Perspective: 1 Rookie Stands Tall, Vikings Roster Moves, and Kyler Murray
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/p-ptsd-perspective-1-rookie-120000301.html
Yore Mock
Trade Partner: Jets
Sent: Pick 21, Pick 161
Received: Pick 23, Pick 122
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Trade Partner: Chiefs
Sent: Pick 89
Received: Pick 94, Pick 169
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Pick R1.23 Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida: 6’1″, 230 lbs
Pick R2.52 Jayden Maiava, QB, USC: 6’4″, 220 lbs
Pick R3.88 Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE, LSU: 6’4″, 256 lbs
Pick R3.94 Vicari Swain, CB, South Carolina: 6’0″, 193 lbs
Pick R4.122 Ben Roberts, LB, Texas Tech: 6’3″, 245 lbs
Pick R5.152 Drew Bobo, IOL, Georgia: 6’5″, 305 lbs
Pick R5.169 Amare Thomas, WR, Houston: 6’0″, 205 lbs
Pick R6.191 McKale Boley, OT, Virginia: 6’5″, 329 lbs
Pick R6.204 Adepoju Adebawore, EDGE, Oklahoma: 6’4″, 260 lbs
Pick R6.214 Devon Jackson, LB, Oregon: 6’2″, 242 lbs
Pick R7.245 Earl Little II, S, Ohio State: 6’0″, 203 lbs
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